Q: I currently have Windows XP Pro 32 bit version N. For some reason the copy I got was a European version that doesn't come with a media player or movie maker sadly. I am using service pack 3 by the way. But should I just upgrade to XP Pro 64 bit edition? Would it be worth it? I mean I know people say support for the operating system itself is lacking support compared to the 32 bit XP Pro. But I do know it has service pack 2 and it should be stable enough right? I mean even though there is lack of support I shouldn't really run into problems right? And I have all my drivers and everything so no issue there. If you can answer my question's it would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
A: The problem is not a lack of support or the lack of drivers. The problem is a lack of software that is true 64 bit. Most software is still 32 bit software and what the 64 bit O/S has to do is to join two 32 bit bytes into a digital Word before it can be processed by the system.If the software is not designed to facilitate this, you will have problems. The processor is capable and so probably are you controllers on the motherboard, the problem is in the software itself. Even though I have not run the 64 bit version myself, most that I have talked to say "don't do it!" Because they have run into problems with a lack of software. This is not just hobbyists, but professionals in the computer world who deal with this stuff every day. In general, the hardware world has jumped way way ahead of the software developers who are dragging their tootsies...on the issue of true native 64 bit code and also on the multithreading issues that would address multiple core processors and enable their realistic use. What I would do if I were you, is create a separate partition on your hard disk and then dual boot XP 32 and XP 64 bit. You can do this by first creating a new partition on your primary drive using administrative tools. Then, modifiy your boot.ini file to include booting a secondary O/S. Readup on the Microsoft Knoweldge Base FIRST before you do anything as this can cause a critical system failure if you goof it up. you should install the Windows Recovery Console before doing anything like this...which will not only give you the ability to recover the system, repair the boot and MBR, but will also allow you to choose which version to boot into. That is what I would do, and then, if you don't like 64 bit, then just delete the partition, modify your boot.ini file and keep the recovery console on the computer until you are sure you can reboot without having to do a fix and you should be fine. PS - You should be able to download SP2 for 32 bit from Microsoft and also SP3. You should also be able to download and install Windows Media Player 11 from microsoft IF you have a legitimate copy of the software and a legitimate product key.